New MiraCosta leader seen as consensus builder

The president of a Sacramento-area community college will lead MiraCosta College as its new chief executive, the college's trustees announced yesterday after an 18-month search.

Francisco Rodriguez, 46, will begin work March 1. He has been president of Cosumnes River College in Sacramento for nearly six years, overseeing rapid student growth.

Regarded as a consensus builder, Rodriguez has championed programs geared toward helping students at risk of dropping out.

At MiraCosta, he will lead the college as it finalizes an accreditation review in the spring and continues to experience significant student growth. He will be expected to help the college move past several years of political infighting and faculty mistrust of administrators.

“He is a dynamic person, very community-oriented,” said Gregory Post, president of board of trustees. “I think he will solidify the college with the community, and that was kind of one of the key points that had him stand out.”

Administrators in Sacramento said Rodriguez will be missed.

“As much as we are happy for him, this will be a significant loss to the college,” said Celia Esposito-Noy, vice president of student services and enrollment management at Cosumnes River College.

She said Rodriguez is a personable manager who “has a very engaging collaborative management style.”

Many students on campus know him, she said, and he has nurtured close ties with people and organizations in the larger community.

Rodriguez, who beat out about 50 other applicants, said he will work hard to shepherd MiraCosta through the accreditation review, help secure finances during a tough economy, strengthen relationships with faculty and other groups on and off campus, encourage a divided board to collaborate, and work toward a bond measure to build more classrooms.

“We're going to have to redouble our efforts to make sure students on the academic margins are not left behind,” he said in a telephone interview.

Rodriguez has worked in higher education for 24 years. Before joining Cosumnes as president in July 2003, he worked for six years as associate dean of instruction and student services and executive dean at Woodland College in the Yuba Community College District. Before that, Rodriguez worked at the University of California Davis for 12 years in student affairs.

In his new post, Rodriguez will earn an annual salary of $256,208, plus a monthly allowance of $1,300 for expenses.

He will take over at a challenging time. The recession, state budget crisis and tightening admissions at the University of California and the California State University systems mean more demands will be placed on community colleges as enrollment grows.

At MiraCosta, Rodriguez will play a crucial role in reuniting a college recovering from turmoil during the previous president's tenure.

Victoria Muñoz Richart resigned in June 2007 with a settlement package worth $1.6 million, after controversies over her management style and a probe into the illegal sale of campus trees and other money-handling at the school.

Over a period of two years, one department head pleaded guilty to grand theft over the tree sales; two popular administrators left and later received financial settlements; the faculty issued a no-confidence vote in Richart and the board of trustees; and a group of community members sent trustees a letter calling for Richart's dismissal.

In the wake of the upheaval, the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges warned MiraCosta that it could lose its accreditation unless a board of trustees divided over Richart resolved its rifts and officials completed work required to remain in good standing.